Gardner’s insurer: He can go on the exchange, get a Bronze Plan

THE chief marketer for Rocky Mountain Health Plans told the Colorado Independent on Wednesday that policy-holder Congressman Cory Gardner, whose current plan is being canceled, can choose from a “ton” of different plans offered by the company on the Connect for Health Colorado “Obamacare” exchange that opened Tuesday and that he’d find a comparable plan.

“The Congressman can go on the exchange. We’re offering tons of different policies with different benefit levels,” said Neil Waldron. “Probably one of our medal plans would be best. Without knowing particulars, I’d say the cheapest plan available to the congressman would be our Bronze Plan. Looks like that might be in the price range he’s paying now.”

Gardner made state and national news this week complaining that his family’s private-sector insurance policy was canceled due to Obamacare. The Fourth District Republican, who has voted to defund or otherwise derail the law more than 40 times — including during the government shutdown standoff this week — argued his experience confirmed conservative complaints that the Affordable Care Act was an overreach that would take away choice from American consumers. Gardner has reportedly been carrying his policy cancelation letter around with him in Washington. He also said he would be forced now to pay double for insurance.

“The closest comparable plan through our current provider will cost over 100 percent more, going from roughly $650 a month to $1,480 per month,” he told the National Review.

Gardner has yet to give out details about his plan or make his cancelation letter public.

Waldren said the letter would have explained that Rocky Mountain Health Plans policies were not fully compliant with the new standards set by the Affordable Care Act, but that new compliant plans would be available to sign up for that would take effect before current plans like Gardner’s expire.

“We would have indicated that we would have available plans, that there would be options to buy new coverage.”

Waldren said the online calculator at the state’s Connect for Health exchange site would tell Gardner what he needs to know to buy a new plan with the company. He said the company’s Bronze Plan would ask Gardner to pay 40 percent costs out of pocket but that rates would vary depending on variables, like whether Gardner wanted dental care and which network of providers were being tapped.

As a freshman member of Congress, Gardner makes at least $174,000 a year, or just over 700 percent of the federal poverty line, for his family — a wife and two children. He won’t qualify for a subsidy on the exchange.

The Kaiser calculator estimates Gardner’s new health plan costs in the following way:

That would leave Gardner paying about $780 dollars a month for his family of four on what the exchange calls a Silver Plan. It appears that a generic Bronze Plan would cost him an estimated $7,838 a year — the same $650 per month he pays now.